Mega Man X: The Beast Within
by The Realm Walker
Summary: An ancient reploid is found on a dig site. When the Maverick forces find out, chaos ensues. But who, or what, is the mysterious warrior in black and copper combat armor? My very first MMX fic. Please R&R! Chapter 5 up FINALLY!
1. Prologue

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Mega Man X: The Beast Within

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Summary: My very first Mega Man X fic. An ancient reploid is uncovered on a dig site. When the Maverick forces find out, chaos ensues. But who, or what, is the enigmatic warrior in black combat armor?

Disclaimer: I do not own Mega Man X. I think Capcom does. I'm just fiddling around with the setting and the characters. Don't sue!

(--*--) Prologue (--*--)

"This is Surveyor Beta reporting to the _Stormhammer._ I am ahead of schedule. I have concealed my transport in the cavern system roughly half a kilometer south of the target." The voice of the armored warrior echoed eerily in the quiet tunnel, distorted by the echoes and the heavy breathing mask of his helmet.

"According to the computer evaluations, the crystal formations will contain enough energy to sustain the _Stormhammer _for approximately thirteen months. Mining operations should be initiated as soon as possible. However, there seems to be some hindrances; the caverns the crystals are located in are unstable, requiring massive efforts of reinforcing the tunnels. As an addition, the target seems to be located only fifteen kilometers northwest from a large native dwelling. Mining operations would require the _Stormhammer_ to reveal herself; this could cause unnecessary trouble among the natives of this world, especially as the planet's original inhabitants have not yet developed a single planetary control system. Instead, the planet appears to be divided into several geographic nations, thus dropping the planetary cultural index below level Theta. Planetary technological index is, however, at level Epsilon; the natives have already developed fusion power, but have not yet developed any kind of interstellar Leap- or hyperdrives. Recommend situation evaluation by the Council: Should the Storm reveal their presence to the populace, and possibly compromise our security in this system to achieve vital resources, or should the Storm ignore these resources and proceed to investigate the asteroid belts roughly three distance units away from the planet? End report. Surveyor Beta to the _Stormhammer, _signing off."

The warrior shook his armored head and turned back in the tunnels towards his makeshift camp. No natural light was visible in the dark caverns, but the advanced sensor units in his helmet allowed him to see in the dark like he was in bright daylight.

**__**

--- Warning: Seismic activity detected. Cavern wall structural integrity 78.6 %. Recommend immediate relocation.

Red letters streamed past the eyes of the warrior as the computer chimed a second warning in his ear. The rock around him shuddered suddenly.

**__**

--- Warning: Cavern wall structural integrity 63.9 %. Collapse imminent.

The warrior swore heavily in several languages. Small pieces of stone fell from the ceiling. Blue flames erupted from the ports in his back and in the bottoms of his feet, lifting him slightly off the floor and pushing him forward towards the cavern exits.

**__**

--- Warning: Structural integrity 52.6 %.

The rock around the warrior rumbled and groaned. Cracks appeared in the walls around him as he sped down the narrow corridors at almost 90 km/h.

"This is Surveyor Beta to the _Stormhammer! _Requesting immediate assist! Seismic activity detected- these caves are collapsing! Transport compromised- requesting imm- _Arhh!_"

A large chunk of stone fell and hit him squarely in the chest, striking him off course. He hit the wall at over eighty kilometers per hour. The rock around him moaned and screamed- the strength of the collision rang through his armor.

**__**

--- Warning: Damage detected. Reactor containment failure. Shutting down non-essential systems.. Stasis mode engaged.

The last thing the warrior saw before the suit's computer put him into deep stasis sleep was a shimmering blue force field rising between him and falling rocks.

While the warrior slept, his suit sent out a distress signal screaming for help to the distant _Stormhammer._ However, the mineral formations around him proved to be too thick for the small emergency transmitter. No one heard him and no one came to help as decades passed. The stone around the sleeping warrior was in later quakes reduced so he was buried only some hundred meters from the cavern entrance. Still, no one came to look for the missing warrior..


	2. Chapter 1

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Mega Man X: The Beast Within

Summary: My very first Mega Man X fic. An ancient reploid is uncovered on a dig site. When the Maverick forces find out, chaos ensues. But who, or what, is the enigmatic warrior in black combat armor?

Disclaimer: I do not own Mega Man X. I think Capcom does. I'm just fiddling around with the setting and the characters. Don't sue!

The year is 21XX. Humankind has developed a new, artificial race known as 'Reploids', beings like robots but with the ability to feel human emotions and to make their own decisions with their advanced AI. They live alongside humans as more or less equal beings. They go to work, pay taxes, live and die, love and hate, mourn and joy just like humans. However, with Reploids, a new threat to the survival of humanity has been created. The Mavericks.

With the ability to make independent decisions comes the ability to kill. Mavericks are Reploids who have decided that humans are a threat to the Reploid race, and must be eliminated. Some Reploids have 'gone maverick' because of glitches in their physical and emotional makeup. Some have simply come to the conclusion that humans must be destroyed because of bad treatment from humans. And some.. some have been infected with the Maverick Virus, a nanotech computer virus designed to turn normal Reploids into bloodthirsty berserker Mavericks.

After some first incidents with the Mavericks, humanity created a defensive unit against the Mavericks. The Maverick Hunters, brave humans and Reploids who opposed the Mavericks. They functioned like a police force dedicated to fight against the Maverick Hordes. 

The first elite unit of the Hunters was lead by the Reploid Sigma, an elite warrior designed solely for combat. His unit, the First Unit or Unit #01, consisted of Sigma, an enigmatic Reploid warrior called Vile and eight Reploid commanders designed after various animals, including Frost Penguin, Storm Eagle, Spark Mandrill, Armored Armadillo, Launch Octopus, Flame Mammoth, Sting Chameleon and Boomer Kuwanger. With the Hunters lead by Sigma, some kind of peace returned to the world. The Mavericks subsided and things looked well for humanity.

Then, something dreadful happened. Sigma was infected with the Maverick Virus. The virus spread through his systems and mutated, turning into the dreaded Sigma Virus, an even more powerful, sentient version of the Maverick Virus. Sigma became one with the Virus. The infection spread to the other warriors of the unit #01, turning the elite defenders of humanity against us. In one swift strike the MHHQ, or the Maverick Hunter Headquarters, was nearly obliterated. Only a handful of Hunters survived. Sigma and the Maverick Commanders were given almost free hands.

Then, two lone warriors rose from the smoldering ashes. Zero, the enigmatic crimson-armored reploid warrior, leader of the Elite Unit #00, and X. X, a noble reploid in azure blue armor. A pacifistic Reploid who was discovered by Doctor Cain in an archaeological dig. X, or Mega Man X, had been built by Doctor Light in 200X, thirty years before. Cain had discovered him, sleeping in a capsule in suspended animation, examined his systems and based off the first Reploids off X's design. X was the first reploid ever built, the 'father' of all reploids. 

Before the 'Maverick Uprising', as the catastrophe was called, X had never fought, having chosen to live a peaceful life. However, in the Uprising, X had lost several dear friends, seen too much death to let things roll on on their own. Endowed with the ability to 'scan' and acquire the weapon of a destroyed Maverick Commander, X fought alongside Zero against the onslaught. Only with the dormant upgrade capsules built by Doctor Light was X able to defeat the Commanders, Vile and finally Sigma. 

Now the world has faced five Maverick Incursions, or Uprisings, X and Zero being the two elite Hunters leading the reformed Maverick Hunters. Here and now our story begins to unfold.. The Realm Walker gives you:

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Mega Man X: The Beast Within

(--*--) Chapter One (--*--)

A/N: That was probably the best piece of beginning I've ever written. God-_flippin'-_damn, where'd that come from?

*--*--*

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Breennnnnggg!

X turned on his side in his bed, trying to ignore the noisy alarm clock.

__

Breennnnnggg! "Damnit, X, wake up already! It's eleven a'clock!"

X darted suddenly completely awake. What he had thought to be the alarm clock had been his internal commlink. And at the other end of the link..

"Morning, sunshine. Get your blue ass out of the bed before I come and personally drag you out here. Cain wants to see us in briefing room 1, thirty minutes. Am I clear, or do I have to poke you with my saber?"

Zero. The blonde, feisty warrior some called the 'Crimson Devil'. A good friend of X, they had had to rely on each other in more then once. X was ready to count his life on Zero. Zero was a good, reliable warrior with a great sense of humor and a notoriously short temper. More then once Zero had used his Z-sabre, a kind of a lime-green beam sword, to get his point across.

X sighed deeply and opened the link. "OK, OK, I'm awake. Put the saber down, I'm coming. Any idea what Cain wants from us?"

"Whatever it is, it's hot. Cain said to come in your full combat gear. Better hurry, X- twenty-eight minutes left. Ciao. _Zero out._"

X sighed once more and got up. His hair was, as always, a short, black mess of permanent 'helmet hair'. A pair of tired, emerald green eyes looked back from his mirror. Couple that with his height of roughly 170 centimeters and he looked like a kid in his teens. Sometimes it was hard to believe that he was the commander of the Maverick Hunter Elite Unit #07.

__

Full combat gear? I wonder what's going on. Armor on-line.

X's T-shirt and shorts were suddenly replaced with a suit of Titanium-X body armor. Most of the plates were deep azure blue. Around the joints there were some parts where the metal was colored more like cerulean. His helmet had a crimson red triangular gem right in the middle of the forehead. The helmet did not cover his face- it reached far enough to cover his cheeks, but it left his face entirely visible.

__

Energy levels 100%. All systems green. I wonder what Cain's up to..

****

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

Twenty-two minutes later X stood at the doors to the MHHQ briefing room 1. Zero was waiting for him there, leaning on the wall while tossing his unignited saber handle up in the air and catching it again. Zero was dressed in his full combat armor, colored mostly red with white details, a blue gem in his helmet and two green orbs set into his chest plate. A cascade of a blonde ponytail flowed from the back of his helmet, hanging behind his back like a cloak.

"Morning, X. Cain should be here any minute.."

X stifled a persistent yawn. "Morning, Zero. What's this all about?"

Zero caught his saber once more and set it in its holder on his shoulder. "No idea. Cain was going on about something in the new energen mines.. Not Mavericks this time, anyway."

"If it's not Mavericks, then what?"

"I know just as much as you do, X. Wait up.. Wassup, Doc?"

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--) 

"Good morning, gentlemen. One hour ago we received a message from the northern energen mines. During a routine survey they detected an energy signature we have never seen before. I want you two to go check it out."

X was the first to speak. "Um, why us? We're Hunters, not archaeologists or miners."

Cain sighed. "We have _never_ picked up a signature like this before. You are best prepared for anything. Besides, it appears that the Mavericks have also found out of the signature- several unknown transports have been sighted in the area. Things could get ugly fast, X."

Before X could reply Zero chimed in. "You want us to go there, kick Maverick ass and see what the signature is about? Why not. I don't have anything better to do, anyways. When do we go?"

"Now. Alia will brief you en-route. Use your landchasers."

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--) 

"God-_damn_, it's dark in here. Which way do we go?" It was dark in the deep caves of the mines. The only lights visible came from the gems X and Zero had in their helmets. "Alia? You read me? Which way?"

A bright female voice chimed over the commlink._ "Alia here. I read you. Head due north until you reach an intersection. Turn left there. Careful- those walls don't look too stable."_

As if on cue a small piece of stone fell from the ceiling and bounced off X's helmet. "You tell me. Wait up.. I'm picking up a high-intensity energy signal coming from northeast. Looks like some kind of a beacon.. Patching it through to you. See if you can translate it, Alia."

An impressed whistle was heard over the commlink. _"Wow.. this is heavily encrypted data. It looks like it's a roughly ten-second message repeating over and over, with what looks like telemetry data on the background. It's a homing beacon, alright."_

"Can you decrypt it?"

A moment's pause. _"Negative on that. Whatever code this uses, it's nothing I've seen before. You are getting close- turn left there."_

The tunnel X and Zero were in forked off in three different directions. The Hunters turned left- and met with a dead end. "There's nothing here, Alia" X spoke into the link. "Absolutely nothing. Just a pile of stupid rocks.." Just then Zero's helmet light reflected off something in the pile at the end of the tunnel. Something that shone blue. "We found something. It's buried in the rubble. We'll try and clear it out."

When X reached out a hand to clean off the rubble, the pile of stones suddenly collapsed, issuing a burst of blinding dust. When the dust cleared..

"Holy cr.. Alia, are you getting this? What _is_ that thing?"

Suspended about thirty centimeters above the tunnel floor there floated a large, blue hexagonal crystal, about three meters high and one meter broad. The crystal shimmered and glowed with its own, dim light, rotating slowly. And inside the crystal, floating within and unaffected by the rotational movement of the crystal.. an armored figure in a standing position.

The figure seemed at first impression like a mechanical warrior straight from combat. It was humanshaped, covered in a suit of bulky-looking black armor. The arms were as thick as X's thighs and the legs were even stronger. The hands of the warrior were clenched in fists, seemingly large enough to crush the head of a human. Long thorns protruded from the knuckles. The suit was mainly black with coppery red details. Long, copper-colored spikes seemed to adorn almost every part of the armor- the chest plate had four rows of long spikes, the largest right in the center of the chest pointing fifteen centimeters straight forward. The shoulder pads had a complex array of hornlike thorns pointing outwards. Even the feet- which were oddly disc-shaped and split so that they looked like large hooves- had some spikes set into them. 

The helmet was almost entirely black with two vertical coppery stripes in the sides of the head. The lower half of the face seemed to bulge forward as if to accommodate a hidden breathing mask of some kind. The eyes were two narrow, slitlike openings covered with darkened lenses. Right in the center of the forehead there was a dark red triangular gem with five oddly bladelike coppery appendages pointing radially outwards. The lowest two were just above the eyes, pointing directly to the sides. One pointed straight upwards. The remaining two pointed diagonally up and to the sides, causing the helmet to almost look like a crown of some kind. Three short spikes protruded from the helmet where the mouth should have been.

All in all the figure seemed outright intimidating, with its immense black bulk and thorns colored like dipped in blood.

Stupefied silence was heard from the commlink. _"Incredible.. I've never seen anything like that. No matches in profile database- it's not based on any designs we know of. Amazing.."_

"Whatever it is, it's obviously designed to fight." Zero said. "Take a look at those gauntlets- I've never seen anything like that, but those look like weapons of some kind."

X zoomed in with his optic sensors. Zero was right- the gauntlets of the armored warrior had both an array of equipment on the top, with ring-shaped discharge ports. They were clearly weapons of some type.

"Scanning target.." Zero said. "Now that's odd. That crystal is playing hell with my sensors- it reflects back everything I try to scan it with."

X reached out slowly and touched the surface of the crystal carefully. The crystal felt oddly warm and hard, but still it gave slightly when X applied pressure to it. A white ripple effect coursed through the surface where his fingers came in contact with the crystal.

"I don't think this is solid matter- it feels more like some kind of a force field. Maybe.."

Alia's voice sounded again over the commlink- but this time she sounded extremely worried. _"X, I'm picking up several transports headed towards you. One of them has been identified as a Maverick transport vessel. Get out of there, now!"_

X and Zero turned immediately around and headed for the exit. "What's the ETA, Alia? Alia, do you read me? Alia?"

X's commlink suddenly _howled_ of overload. He immediately shut down the offending system.

"Crap! Zero, they're jamming our frequency! We can't warp out!"

Zero reached behind his shoulder and pulled out his saber handle. A green blade of raw energy over a meter long surged out of the handle.

"If we can't run, we fight. Time to kick some Irregie ass.."

X nodded grimly. _X_-_Buster online._

X's right hand, covered in a white glove, suddenly seemed to disappear off his arm. The stump of his wrist changed shape and became the barrel of a high-powered plasma Buster. _Here we go again.._

The first thing X saw when they reached the exit of the caves was twelve high-powered plasma rifles pointing towards him and Zero. The rifles were held by twelve tough-looking humanoid Maverick soldiers. Bot it was not the soldiers, nor the firepower they carried, that startled X. It was the large figure behind the troopers. A three-meter tall piece of armor and weaponry, a large humanoid ride-armor- basically a tank on two legs. And in the cockpit on the top of the mech..

A short figure in red and black armor, a large cannon set on his shoulder. The helmet of the figure had a narrow T-shaped slit for a visor. X could recognize that figure anywhere. That figure sometimes haunted him in his dreams. He stammered back and stifled a gasp.

"Vile?!" (--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--) **__**

Stasis mode disengaged. Systems powering up.

Running Power-up Self Tests- Self Diagnostic level Alpha

Scanning system…

…

…

Self Diagnostic level Alpha complete. Results:

Internal Systems:

Power:

Primary Pulse Fusion Reactor: Containment Failure- Offline

Secondary Power Cell: 12.3 % Max. Capacity

Tertiary Power Source: Non Applicable

Shield:

Primary Shield Generator: Power Failure- Disabled

Thermal Shielding: Malfunction

Shield Adjuster Systems: Power Failure- Disabled

Stasis Shield: Disabled

Cloaking Shield: Malfunction

Life Support:

Primary Life Support System: 95 % functional

Internal Medkit:

Stim Pack: 50% Max. Capacity

Pain Killer: 23 % Max. Capacity

Buffout: 3 % Max. Capacity

Sensor Systems:

Audial Sensors: 79 % functional

**_Visual Sensors: 92 % functional_**

X-Ray Imaging: Malfunction

Thermal Imaging: Power Failure- Disabled

Long-Range Scanner: 15 % functional- Disabled

Communications Systems: Malfunction

External Systems:

Armor Integrity 76 %

Limbic Systems:

Right Arm:

Servo 89 % operational

Actuator 67 % operational

Left Arm:

Servo 100 % operational

Actuator 86 % operational

Right Leg:

Servo 67 % operational

Actuator 95% operational

Left Leg:

Servo 73 % operational

Actuator 69 % operational

Equipment:

Weaponry:

Disruptor Gauntlet, Right Arm: 96 % nominal efficiency

Disruptor Gauntlet, Left Arm: 87 % nominal efficiency

Disruptor Nova Generator: Power Failure- Disabled

Blade Burst, Right Arm: 93 % nominal efficiency- 16 ammo left

Blade Burst, Left Arm: 65 % nominal efficiency- 16 ammo left

Strike Chain, Right Arm: Malfunction

Strike Chain, Left Arm: Malfunction

Special Equipment:

Grappling Hook, Right Arm: 100% nominal efficiency

Grappling Hook, Left Arm: 96% nominal efficiency

Hovjet mk. II Thruster System: Reactor Offline- Disabled

Repair Nanodrone: 56 % Max. Capacity

Overall: 23% nominal efficiency

End Self Diagnostic, Level Alpha

…

Repair Nanodrones released. Estimated Time to Recovery: 78 hours

Warning- Remaining power sufficient to sustain operations for following 8 hours. Immediate recharge recommended.

End Startup Sequence

Dark. Pure darkness enveloped him, surrounded him, soothed him. He felt weak and tired as if he had been in stasis for months. The only light he saw came from the texts of his HUD.
**__**

Image Enhancement- Light Amplification engaged

In one brilliant flash of light his world turned from pitch black to venomous radioactive green. Finally he could see where he was. He was standing in some kind of a tunnel. It did not appear naturally formed- the walls were too smooth.

"Where am I?" His voice echoed in the dark tunnel, oddly distorted and lifeless. No answer came. _I have to get out of here.._

He studied the floor around him and saw bootprints in the sand. Two persons had come here and left in a hurry. If he would follow the prints, he would get out of the caverns.

He approached the cavern exits slowly, ready for anything.. well, as ready as he could get, with the damage done to his systems. Before he reached the exit, however, he picked up voices, coming from outside. Hiding in the shadows, he peeked out of the caves. He saw two armored figures standing back to him, the other short with azure blue armor, the other slightly taller with crimson and while armor and a long ponytail. Beyond the two warriors, twelve soldiers were pointing powerful-looking rifles at the two. And beyond the soldiers there was a mech of some kind, piloted by a figure masked with a metallic helmet. _Oh, great. I'm running at 23% and I get in the middle of a fight. Just my god-flippin'-damn luck!_

He ducked for cover while trying to listen for the ongoing conversation.
__

"Vile!?" exclaimed the figure in blue armor. "I thought you were _dead!_ I destroyed you _twice!_"

The helmed figure piloting the mech chuckled dryly. "And yet here I stand, X. You should know that I cannot be destroyed so easily. Tell me now, X, Zero, how does it feel to stare down the pits of death?"

The warrior in red armor – Zero, most likely- raised something that looked like a meter-long lime lightsaber and pointed it at Vile. "Typical for you, Vile, to hide behind your cronies! Get down from that 'bot of yours and we'll stick it up your ass!"

"I think not, Zero. I have a proposition for you two. Come and join us Mavericks, and I shall spare your life. I know the puny humans are not worth of sacrificing your lives for. If you refuse.. you will be destroyed. Sigma will enjoy seeing the heads of you two on a platter."

__

Puny humans?! This Vile is not human? None of them are? Who is this Sigma?

"You can take that proposition and shove it.." Zero began.

__

Feisty. I think I like that guy.

"Then so be it." Vile said. "Farewell, Hunters. Take aim!"

__

23 percent my ass! This will turn to an execution if I do nothing! Combat Mode!

**Disruptor Gauntlet online. Entering Combat Mode. Scanning targets.. Targeting.. **(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--) 

"Then so be it. Farewell, Hunters. Take aim!"

__

So, this is it, X thought._ Funny how I never thought it would end like this.. What was that?_

ShorrrmmmmMMM..

That's like something building a charge..

Vile looked up and behind X and Zero. "What the-"

__

CHREEOONNN!

The air distorted like something invisible had zoomed from between X and Zero to Vile's ride-armor. The behemoth stumbled backwards and fell heavily. The entire chest portion of the mech looked like something had taken a huge sledge to it- the entire front plate was _punched in._ The Maverick troopers stared horrified behind the two Hunters. 

X spun swiftly around.. and saw the armored figure that had been within the floating crystal. Standing almost two meters tall, covered in thorns that looked like dipped in blood, the warrior was beyond intimidating. Pointing the weapon on its right arm towards the Mavericks, the lenses of its eyes glowing fierce blood red, the figure looked like it had arrived straight from the deepest pits of Hell.

"I am Cheran Torr, Third Knight of the Beast from the Brotherhood of the Flame, serving aboard the Allied Federation giga-cruiser _Stormhammer_." The voice of the apparition was dark, distorted and lifeless, sending shivers down X's spine.

"Power down your weapons and surrender, Mavericks, or prepare to be destroyed. Utterly." The warrior spoke in a smooth tone. He did not threaten- he stated the facts.

One of the Maverick troopers raised his plasma rifle and aimed it at the black warrior.

__

PFHRAM!

The trooper simply exploded, spraying components, circuitry and black reploid circulatory fluid everywhere. Only his boots were left intact on the ground- everything from knee upwards had been turned into little bits. A thin wisp of steam flowed out from a small exhaust port at the side of the wrist of the dark warrior.

"I have warned you once. There shall be no second warning. Power down and surrender your weapons- _NOW."_

The remaining eleven troopers stared at the remains of their fallen comrade- and warped out, vanishing in flashes of brilliant light. The fallen ride-armor- with Vile still in it- followed suit. X faced the black warrior again.

"I am X, Commander of the Seventh unit of the Maverick Hunters. I thank you for your assistance."

The warrior lowered his arm. The red light in his eyes flickered out and he just collapsed where he stood. It was like something had just drained out all power from him.

Zero looked at the remains of the Maverick trooper and whistled. "Wow. I _have _to get _me_ a gun like that.."

"Never mind the gun, Zero- X to Alia, do you copy? Alia, you there?"

X's commlink crackled back to life. _"Alia here. What happened? Are you guys all right? I lost contact to you a while ago.."_

"We're file, Alia. Could you dispatch a transport to our location? There's someone here Cain needs to have a look at.."

(--¤¤--) Author's Notes (--¤¤--) ****

Owch. That HAD to hurt. A Blade Burst tends to make a _real_ mess at point-blank range. I wonder how Cain will react when he tries to have a look at the inner workings of our Knight.. I hope there are not any inconsistencies in this chapter- Write me if you find any errors. I'll get back to you with Chapter Two soon.

-The Realm Walker 


	3. Chapter 2

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Mega Man X: The Beast Within

Summary: My very first Mega Man X fic. An ancient reploid is uncovered on a dig site. When the Maverick forces find out, chaos ensues. But who, or what, is the enigmatic warrior in black combat armor?

Disclaimer: I do not own Mega Man X. I think Capcom does. I'm just fiddling around with the setting and the characters. I, however, own Cheran, the Knights, the Brotherhoods and the _Stormhammer, _plus a nice amount of Storm technology.

(--¤¤--) Author's Noter/Review Responses (--¤¤--)

Here we have the second chapter of my first MMX fic. It has been ages since I updated, I know. Sorry for the delay. School sucks.  
Not much to say here now.. Except:

Special thanks to BladeDancer, who was the first to review my humble fic. Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

So, let's get on with the show, shall we? The Realm Walker proudly presents:

Mega Man X: The Beast Within

(--¤¤--) Chapter 2 (--¤¤--)

X saw Cain waiting at the landing pad as the glider Alia had sent for them landed. The moment the transport's heavy loading bay door opened, Cain was there.

"Where is he, X?" The old scientist was almost giddy with excitement.

"He's in the cargo bay, Doc. Still unconscious. Zero should be bringing him out any minute now.."

"Hey, Doc! Come check this guy out!" _And here he comes.._

Zero walked down the ramp, pushing a heavy metal slab before him. It had taken both X and Zero almost half an hour to get the warrior onto the slab- he was extremely heavy, and the thorns of his suit made it hard to get a good grip.

"Alia showed me some of the footage you transmitted her. From what I've seen, this.. this.. reploid is the greatest discovery since you, X. What happened to him?"

"He opened a can of whoopass on old Buckethead and collapsed." Zero chimed in. "You should've seen it, Doc- whatever that gun of his is, it just punched in half of the ride-armor!"

"Not to mention he has some kind of a heavy projectile weapon." X added. "He _liquefied_ a Maverick trooper with a single blast."

Cain nodded thoughtfully. "Did he say who he was? Wait- _'Old Buckethead'?_ _Vile?_"

"In the flesh, so to say." X said grimly. "He tried to 'recruit' us. The alternative would have been our execution."

"I thought he was dead.."

"So did we. Vile gloated over us and was just about to kill us when he-" X gestured towards the black-and-copper figure- "When he showed up. He seriously damaged Vile's ride-armor and killed one of the Maverick troopers. When he threatened to do the same to the rest of them, they warped out. Then he just collapsed there. We brought him here for you to see."

Cain glanced over the still figure. "We should get him to my lab. I can't wait to get him under the scanner.."

****

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

The following two hours had X occupied with miscellaneous paperwork. X, however, noticed that it was hard for him to concentrate onto the tasks on hand. He found his thoughts drifting back to the unknown reploid.

__

"I am Cheran Torr, Third Knight of the Beast from the Brotherhood of the Flame, serving aboard the Allied Federation gigacruiser Stormhammer.." What is the Brotherhood of the Flame? And the Allied Federation? Who are you, Cheran Torr?

X glanced back down onto the papers and noticed that he had signed one of the supply orders "Stormhammer". He stifled a curse and pushed the document into the paper shredder. _Ah, crap. I might as well go and check on him.._

The first thing X heard when he approached the door to Cain's lab was the old doctor cursing loudly in several languages. Fearing the worst, X barged in Buster cocked.. and saw Cain beating the snot out of one of the technical scanners next to the slab the unknown reploid was lying on.

X blinked. "Uh, Doc? What's wrong?"

Cain gave the heavy piece of equipment a swift kick to the side. "This stupid piece of broken electronics is what's wrong! Where'd you get this thing, Radio Shack?" Just then Cain seemed to realize who he was talking to. "Eh.. you can forget I said that.. What can I do for you, X?"

"Um.. I think Lifesaver got that from Circuit City, actually. I just happened to walk by, and.. well.. I just wondered how you were doing with.."

Cain snorted oddly. "I'd be doing better if I could figure out how to open that tin can! Seriously, X, he's sealed close tighter then Signas' wallet. I've found several places here, here and here.." Cain pointed at some parts of the black armor- "..that look like maintenance hatches, but I can't get them to open."

X nodded. "And that incident with the scanner?"

"I tried to scan him to figure out something of his inner workings, but that metal his suit is made of just reflects back everything. I tried to increase power to the scanner, and the scanner's power cell ran dry.. It was supposed to be brand new!"

"Nevertheless.. have you found out _anything_ about him?"

"Other than one that metal can withstand almost anything I can throw at it and two those thorns are _real_ sharp, nothing sure. The technology of that suit is top-notch, but still it looks _old_, worn out.. See for yourself."

X took a better look at the still figure. His enhanced optics could immediately pick up dents and scratches in the exterior armor. Cain was right-the shell looked old, like it had seen countless battles over years, but still the weapons it carried were beyond what anyone had ever seen before.

"Like I said," Cain began, "I've nothing sure to tell you, but I have theories. I've found several exhaust ports of some kind on the bulge on his back, and several similar ports near his hip and at the bottoms of his feet. It seems like he is flight-capable.. or at least he has some kind of inbuilt Dash features."

X nodded. "Hey.. If you can't scan him with your equipment, maybe I could try.."

"That would be helpful, X. Try to figure out the power source of that suit- I couldn't get any readings like a functioning generator. I find it hard to believe he would be running off batteries."

X focused onto the fallen Knight- Cheran- and activated his inbuilt sensor pack. _Scan initiated.._

His view shifted from normal view to thermal sensor readings and to x-ray imaging. Both showed the armor as a shapeless black splotch as his sensors were unable to penetrate the suit. Like Cain had told him, it seemed like the armor simply reflected or absorbed most forms of radiation. X's sensor pack went through a concentrated microwave scan and entered sonar mode. Still nothing. X sighed to himself and increased the power output to the sensors array. 

The effect was instantaneous, but not what X had expected. His sensor unit went black as he felt something _gnawing_ at the core of his systems- his micro fusion generator. Power drain on his systems disabled his motoric functions and he fell to his knees. His world went black..

****

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

"X? Wake up, X.."

X groaned and hoisted himself to a sitting position. "Unnh.. What happened?"

__

Power levels 64 % and rising. All systems green.

"You were scanning that Reploid and just collapsed. You were out for some minutes."

X glanced over the still dormant figure on the slab. "I.. I gave my sensors more power and.. something _drained_ my fusion reactor. Like.. like that suit had.. _fed_ on my energy."

Cain nodded. "That would explain why the scanner lost all power. Maybe it's some kind of a self-defense system designed to prevent unauthorized scans. The scanner was running off a power cell, and it was completely drained in seconds. You, on the other hand, use a reactor producing continuously energy.. which is why you recovered."

Cain's face looked oddly fuzzy, but X's optics soon got their focus back as his reactor fed more power to them. "Damn.. I feel like I just ran the marathon- twice. Maybe we shouldn't try to scan him until he's woken up, Doc- God only knows what kind of other defense systems he has. I don't know about you, but I'd rather keep the base intact."

"Yeah, Doc, though getting crushed by several tons of durasteel _might_ be interesting.. Then again, flat perspective has never been my thing."

Cain shot a glare at the crimson figure at the door. "Zero. How nice of you to drop by. How can the old doctor help you?"

"I actually came to see the Sleeping Beauty there. Signas will be here any minute, by the way. He wanted to have a look at him. Anything new?"

"Other than X and I have figured out how to wake up 'Sleeping Beauty', as you called him, no," Cain answered.

X blinked. "We have?"

****

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

"Tell me again, Doctor, how are you going to do this?"

"It's actually quite simple, Signas. When X tried to scan.. what should we call him? Cheran, wasn't it? When X tried to scan Cheran, his fusion reactor was drained almost dry. Energy doesn't just vanish into thin air, so I'm willing to bet that he somehow absorbed energy from X. We've hooked up a scanner directly into one of our backup generators."

Cain's lab was cluttered with more or less heavy equipment, and even more so now that the slab with the Knight took up even more room. One of the medical scanners had been stripped of its outer cover, revealing complex electronic systems within. A thick cable ran from the back of the device to a humming, barrel-shaped power generator at the back of the room.

"The idea is that when we activate the scanner, Cheran will attempt to 'drain' the scanner, like before. With the generator providing power to the scanner, we'll be able to feed the output of the generator directly into him. Hopefully _that _will wake him up."

"What if it doesn't?"

"Then we'll hopefully be able to get some decent images with the amped-up scanner."

Signas was silent for some time, as if deep in thought. "I still have my doubts of this, Doctor. What if he _does_ wake up, and begins to attack us? I've seen the records we got of him- I am not sure if even X would be able to subdue him. Are you absolutely sure we should awaken him?"

Cain sighed deep. "That was the same question I asked myself so many years ago, when we found X. I remember standing by that capsule, asking that very question: Should I? You know what came of that decision, Signas. Without that decision, you would not be standing there. With that one decision, there came a great blessing." 

Cain sighed again, suddenly seeming weary. "A great gift.. the Reploids. Your kind, Signas, helped mankind as equals. Humanity is in debt to you. But with your blessing we were cursed with Mavericks, plunging Humans and Reploids alike into the shadows. With good, there is always evil. For every pro there is a con. With Reploids came the Mavericks. With him.. I don't know what."

Cain was silent for a long time. 

Signas finally cleared his throat. "Well, Doctor? Have you decided?"

Cain nodded. "Yes. I believe we should at least try to awaken him. If for nothing else, then at least for our gratitude. He did help X and Zero, after all."

Cain motioned to one of the technicians working the scanner.

"Begin. Scanner power set to ten percent nominal, with five percent increases every third second."

****

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

__

At the same time, somewhere far away..

Dark halls adorned with various symbols echoed along the footsteps of the lone Maverick trooper. Chills ran down his artificial spine as he cursed his foul luck. When the time came to report to Sigma of their failure, the trooper and his ten remaining comrades had drawn straws to decide who would have to break the news for Sigma. He had lost.

The hall he was walking down ended in large twin doors decorated with the Greek letter for Sigma decorated with fangs and beastly eyes, the symbol of the Mavericks. His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the large doors. Once more he cursed at his bad luck and at the humans who had decided artificial emotions were a good thing in a Reploid. The Reploid equivalent of adrenaline rushed through his systems, clouding his thoughts.

The doors opened slowly, revealing a large dark room behind. He could barely make out the faint outlinings of a thronelike chair at the back of the room.. and the dark figure on the throne. Two red lights flared into existence where the eyes of the figure would have been, the light reflecting dimly off a red, round gem in the middle of its forehead. Two flames ignited at the sides of the throne, casting dim luminance to upon the room.

"What is it? Where is Vile, trooper?" Sigma asked in a deep, resonating voice.

Sigma was a bald male humanoid reploid suited in dark crimson and black combat armor. His face had two vertical scars right on the eyes, giving him an even more dangerous look. He was strongly built and over six feet tall. He held a long, metal staff in his hands. It was well known that the 'staff' was actually an energy scythe with the properties of a light saber. Sigma was also known to not to hesitate to use the weapon.

The trooper gulped and tried to calm himself down. One wrong word could spell his doom. "Master Sigma.. Trooper 163-E7 reporting as ordered. We just returned from the mission issued to us."

Sigma almost growled in a low voice. "And why do I see a pathetic trooper instead of Vile before me? Did I not specifically instruct Vile to report back to me?"

163 drew nervously breath. "Sigma, sir.. Vile is at the repair bays, undergoing repairs. I was sent here instead of him."

Sigma's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Undergoing repairs? What happened, trooper? Tell me you brought back X and Zero.. or their heads."

"Master.. we had just reached the Hunters when we were attacked. Vile and his Ride-Armor were seriously damaged and one of the troopers was killed."

**__**

"WHAT!? How many warriors there were?"

The trooper shrunk back, trying to get some distance between himself and Sigma. "In addition to X and Zero.. one."

Sigma settled back into the throne, growling to himself. "Show me."

The trooper stood next to a large viewscreen next to the doors. He reached towards the controls and a thin cable snaked out from his wrist, attaching itself into the input port on the screen. The screen flickered to life, showing a record from the viewpoint of the trooper.

Sigma watched with interest as the record showed a warrior suited into black and copper armor knock Vile out and destroy one of the troopers as easily as he had crushed an ant.

Sigma's face contorted into a dark grin. "How extensive is the damage to Vile?"

"Vile should be up to full strength in three days, master. Repairing the Goliath Mark Four, however, will require almost three weeks. The damage to the armor was extensive."

Sigma nodded slowly. "When they are ready.. prepare.."

Sigma looked over the image of the black warrior with burning red eyes. "I want that Reploid."

He rumbled lowly to himself. Then he burst into dark, howling laughter that echoed in the throne room, making the trooper cower back in fear.

****

(--¤¤--) Author's Notes (--¤¤--)

Once again, sorry for the delay. That would be Chapter Two for you, complete with a short glance at the evil mastermind. 

How will the Knight react when Cain attempts to awaken him? Is he a friend or foe? What mysteries are concealed under that lethal shell? Answers to these questions will be found in Chapter Three of Mega Man X: The Beast Within!


	4. Chapter 3

Mega Man X: The Beast Within ****

Summary: My very first Mega Man X fic. An ancient reploid is uncovered on a dig site. When the Maverick forces find out, chaos ensues. But who, or what, is the enigmatic warrior in black combat armor?

Disclaimer: I do not own Mega Man X. I think Capcom does. I'm just fiddling around with the setting and the characters. I, however, own Cheran, the Knights, the Brotherhoods and the _Stormhammer, _plus a nice amount of Storm technology.

(--¤¤--) Author's Noter/Review Responses (--¤¤--)

And here, we have Chapter Three.. FF.Net's been giving me problems lately- if anyone knows why my stories are not shown in the category listings, email me, please. The address is on my profile page.

Red Dragon 15: Thank you for being the _second _to review this fic'o'mine. Of course I'll write more. Here goes..

Mega Man X: The Beast Within

Chapter Three 

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

__

The unconscious Knight, Cheran, has been brought to the Maverick Hunter Headquarters to be examined by Doctor Cain. Cain has found a possible way to awaken the Knight. X, Zero and Signas watch as Cain attempts to bring Cheran back to the world of the conscious.

Cain motioned to one of the technicians working the scanner.

"Begin. Scanner power set to ten percent nominal, with five percent increases every third second."

The steady humming of the generator grew louder. The technician flipped some switches on the scanner. A high-pitched whine was heard from the scanner. The technician studied the readouts for a moment before giving Cain the thumbs up.

"Power at ten percent nominal, all systems nominal... Fifteen percent. Power readings green- no drain detected."

X noticed that he was slowly counting down seconds to the next power increase.

"Twenty percent. All systems nominal." Zero started tossing his saber handle and catching it in the air.

"Twenty-five percent. No drain detected." Signas gave Zero a strict glare. Zero grinned sheepishly and replaced the saber in its holder.

"Thirty percent. All systems nominal."

"Thirty-five percent."

"Forty. No change."

"Forty-five." The technician studied the readings more carefully for a moment. 

"Minor drain detected. Could be an equipment fault, however.. Fifty percent. Nope, there it is. Steady drain detected. Continue?"

Cain nodded. "Go on."

"Fifty-five percent. Steady drain." The humming of the generator grew slowly in volume. 

"Sixty percent." The technician frowned slightly. "The drain is increasing. Sixty-five percent.."

"Seventy percent."

"Seventy-five."

"Eighty.. _Holy crap!"_ The scanners' whine suddenly turned into a protesting wail. "Power surge detected! Voltage over 130% nominal, climbing!"

Smoke began to rise from the scanner. The technician scrambled further away from the device just as it shot out a shower of sparks from one of the power conduits. Sparks burst out from several circuits of the scanner, bathing the lab in a horrid bluish glow.

"Shut it off!" Cain shouted to the tech working at the generator. The Reploid flipped several switches on the device.. and nothing happened.

"It won't power down!" Suddenly one of the diagnostic screens on the generator exploded, spewing smoke and fragments of glass everywhere.

The generator roared of overload. Blue arcs of electricity surged between the generator and the scanner. Both X and Signas leapt back as a bolt of lightning lanced dangerously close to them.

X watched in horror as the arcs jolted from the scanner towards the Knight on the slab. The streams of energy impacted the black shell with an electrical hiss. The Knight was enveloped in a storm of electrical energy, lightning arcing between the blades on his helmet and the thorns of the suit. He just laid still in the center of the maelstrom, as if the energy had no effect at all upon him.

X noticed, however, that even if the generator kept pumping energy to the Knight, the buildup was nowhere near as strong as it should have been. X realized that the suit was able to absorb most of the power the generator provided to it.

Cain was still shouting for someone to shut off the generator when Zero ignited his Z-Saber with the familiar snap-_hiss_ sound. The green blade of energy spun wildly as Zero tossed the weapon straight at the generator. The blade sunk deep into the metal. The humming of the generator died as the device belched forth a cloud of thick smoke. Immediately the streams of power flickered out. The lab was suddenly completely silent except for Cain, who was still shouting, and for the occasional snap of a spark jolting between two spikes on the black suit of armor.

Zero retrieved his saber from the smoldering wreck that used to be the generator. The lime-green blade vanished with a low hiss and he replaced the handle to its holder.

"Now _that's _what I call 'manual override'" Zero mused.

Signas approached carefully the still unmoving Knight. A small jolt of energy arced between the blades of the helmet, causing Signas to twitch nervously. "That's it? Nothing happened?"

Cain whisked some smoke away from his face. "I wouldn't exactly call _that _show 'nothing'.."

Signas motioned at the dormant figure on the slab. "I meant _him,_ Cain. We lost a good scanner and a generator for no use at all! It's a miracle no one was hurt!"

Cain opened his mouth to argue when X noticed something. The right hand of the Knight, clad in a black glove with coppery spikes in the knuckles had twitched.

"Um.. Doctor? Signas?"

Silence fell as the armored fingers twitched and slowly made a fist. Then a shudder shot through the armored figure- Zero later described the twitch 'like someone had given him a swift kick in the ass'- and his eyes lit aflame with a fierce red glow. The light flickered out for a moment and a green glow replaced it.

Slowly the Knight turned his head to look at his surroundings. The blades on his forehead caught the lights of the lab, reflecting flickers of blood-red light. He carefully hoisted himself to a half-sitting position, motors in his arms whining barely audibly. Then he spoke in an oddly crackling voice. "Where am I?"

****

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

__

Systems powering up.

Running Power-up Self Tests- Self Diagnostic level Alpha

Scanning system…

…

…

Self Diagnostic level Alpha complete. Results:

Internal Systems:

Power:

Primary Pulse Fusion Reactor: 53 % nominal efficiency

Secondary Power Cell: 98.2 % Max. Capacity

Tertiary Power Source: Non Applicable

Shield:

Primary Shield Generator: Disabled

Thermal Shielding: Offline

Shield Adjuster Systems: Disabled

Stasis Shield: Offline

Cloaking Shield: Malfunction

Life Support:

Primary Life Support System: 100 % functional

Internal Medkit:

Stim Pack: 53% Max. Capacity

Pain Killer: 36 % Max. Capacity

Buffout: 7 % Max. Capacity

Sensor Systems:

Audial Sensors: 83 % functional

Visual Sensors: 97 % functional

X-Ray Imaging: 32 % functional

Thermal Imaging: 52 % functional

Long-Range Scanner: 25 % functional

Communications Systems: Malfunction

External Systems:

Armor Integrity 79 %

Limbic Systems:

Right Arm:

Servo 89 % operational

Actuator 67 % operational

Left Arm:

Servo 100 % operational

Actuator 86 % operational

Right Leg:

Servo 67 % operational

Actuator 95% operational

Left Leg:

Servo 73 % operational

Actuator 69 % operational

Equipment:

Weaponry:

Disruptor Gauntlet, Right Arm: 96 % nominal efficiency

Disruptor Gauntlet, Left Arm: 87 % nominal efficiency

Disruptor Nova Generator: Nominal

Blade Burst, Right Arm: 95 % nominal efficiency- 15 ammo left

Blade Burst, Left Arm: 73 % nominal efficiency- 16 ammo left

Strike Chain, Right Arm: Malfunction

Strike Chain, Left Arm: Malfunction

Special Equipment:

Grappling Hook, Right Arm: 100% nominal efficiency

Grappling Hook, Left Arm: 100% nominal efficiency

Hovjet mk. II Thruster System: 89 % nominal efficiency

Repair Nanoprobe: 42 % Max. Capacity

Overall: 49% nominal efficiency

End Self Diagnostic, Level Alpha

…

Repair Nanoprobes online. Estimated time to recovery 13 hours.

End startup sequence.

Cheran awoke suddenly from the stasis his suit had put him in as power coursed through his systems. For one short moment his HUD glowed with the bright red color of Combat Mode. Then his weapons grid powered down and his view turned back into its normal, slightly greenish glow.

He could _feel_ the energy rushing through his systems as nanoprobes within his shell repaired damaged circuits and activated previously dormant systems. Still he was at barely half of his maximum strength, and prone to attack, especially as his shields were still offline.

Cheran was no longer outdoors. He was lying on something hard, and the ceiling above him was made of gray metal- some kind of steel/titanium alloy according to his scanner- with some bright lights hanging off it. Various shelves and tables surrounding the platform he was lying on held different kinds of tools and parts ranging from screwdrivers and welders to some devices the purpose of which Cheran could only guess at. Wisps of smoke floated across his view.

He was not alone. Standing some meters from him were four people. The first man he identified as X, suited in azure blue armor. Then there was Zero, in crimson/black/white armor and with a long, blonde ponytail. The two others he did not recognize- there was an old man with a long, black beard with a gray stripe in the middle and a tall figure suited in some kind of a brown uniform. He had a cap like the ones military officers usually wore, except that this one had a red gem set in it above the brim. 

All four stared at him with near identical expressions of amazement. Cheran fully understood why; all Storm issue assault armors were built to be _impressive_ and the Thorn Beast was no exception.

His voice was distorted and crackled slightly as he spoke through his helmet. "Where am I?"

The old man spoke first. "You are at Maverick Hunter Headquarters. How are you feeling?"

"Shaken, but not stirred. Overall status forty-nine percent. How did I get here?"

"X and Zero brought you here- but I believe introductions would be in place. I am Doctor Cain. These are X, leader of the Seventh elite Hunter unit, Zero, leader of the elite unit number Zero, and Signas, Maverick Hunter superior commander."

"Cheran Torr, Third Knight of the Beast from the Brotherhood of Flame, serving aboard the Allied Federation gigacruiser _Stormhammer._ Designation code 2658-Delta-Echo-Gamma-Theta. I would shake hands, but.." Cheran picked up an empty metal can from a nearby table. His armored fingers crushed the can into a shapeless lump of metal easily. "..but my fine manipulation motorics are still not up to par. I would rather not hurt anyone."

Cain smiled faintly. "That is quite all right. Do you think you can stand?"

Cheran nodded and hoisted himself off the metal table he had been lying on. The knee servo in his right leg whined in protest and almost buckled under him. "As long as you don't ask me to do tap dance."

Cheran's communication unit picked up a short low energy level transmission. Signas cocked his head as if listening to something for a moment, then swore and turned to Cain. "Excuse me. I'll have to leave now. Something has just come up." When Signas turned his head, Cheran noticed that there was a round metallic ring covering his ear, like a small speaker.. or a large bolt. 

Cheran changed his HUD from normal view to X-ray imaging. His view turned black and white with less dense targets translucent and ghostly. Doctor Cain looked quite normal, but Signas.. Instead of seeing a human skeleton, Cheran saw metal and plastic surrounding high-technology machinery, circuitry and motors.

__

What the.. What is he?

X and Zero were both similar beings, with no organic components at all. Thin cables ran under their 'skin', carrying energy to servos and circuits concealed under their human appearance.

__

If they are robots, they are advanced even beyond Storm technology. This is incredible..

Cheran cycled back to his normal vision mode and noticed Cain looking expectantly at him.

"Excuse me?"

Cain chuckled in a low voice. "I asked if you could come with me. I believe our doctor would like to have a look at you."

"Of course, Doctor. Lead the way."

X coughed slightly. "Ahem.. I don't think Zero and I are needed right now. If you'll excuse us.."

Both robots saluted the doctor and left the Knight alone with Cain. The old man smiled to Cheran.

"Now then, if you'll follow me.."

****

(--¤¤--) Author's Notes (--¤¤--)

I finished this on Thursday, but was unable to access the 'net before Monday. Sorry for the delay.. Cruddy single-line ISDN.. grr. 

Next chapter will have some 'xplaining on both sides, plus some cultural shock for our Knight. The 'manual override' joke was not mine, btw. My little brother read this over my shoulder and blurted that one out. That proves that twisted sense of humor runs in the family.. OK. Back to the point. Thanks for reading this, please review, and see you in Chapter Four of

Mega Man X: The Beast Within


	5. Chapter 4

****

Mega Man X: The Beast Within

Summary: My very first Mega Man X fic. An ancient reploid is uncovered on a dig site. When the Maverick forces find out, chaos ensues. But who, or what, is the enigmatic warrior in black combat armor?

Disclaimer: I do not own Mega Man X. I think Capcom does. I'm just fiddling around with the setting and the characters. I, however, own Cheran, the Knights, the Brotherhoods and the _Stormhammer, _plus a nice amount of Storm technology.

(--¤¤--) Author's Noter/Review Responses (--¤¤--)

Chapter Four is now up. I managed to figure out why I couldn't see my stories in the categories: The classic PEBKAC error _(Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair)- _This used to be rated R, and the category list was set on "show up to PG13". Embarrassing. I dropped the rating down to PG13, as I don't intend this to be quite _that _violent a fic. That way, I'll get more readers, too.. I hope.

More reviews! Whee!

****

Ignorantly grinning: Thanks. Here you go.

****

Blade Dancer: Hey, long time no see! Yes, he can take the armor off. I think..

****

Shrapnel380: Deal.

****

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

Mega Man X: The Beast Within

Chapter Four 

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

Cheran followed Cain as the old doctor lead him through sets of brightly lit corridors. Cheran guessed he they were in some kind of a military installation, at least judging from the various signs leading towards 'Armory 1' or 'Fighter Bay 3', and from the amount of armed personnel they came across in a relatively short walk. Most people were humans, but some were human-shaped robots like X and Zero. All seemed to know Cain, as most people they passed greeted him with varying levels of respect as they passed. Then again, it could have been the influence of his suit causing that- a dark-haired, tall female robot had almost walked into an open door while staring at Cheran.

Cheran was busy scanning his surroundings- both literally and figuratively speaking- so he did not listen that carefully what Cain was saying. It had something to do with Cheran being an extremely unusual find, that his systems were advanced far beyond what Cain had ever seen and so on and so on. One particular word, however, caught Cheran's ear.

"..It's just that you are so different from any Reploid we have so far seen.." Cain was saying.

"Doctor? I have one question. What exactly is a Reploid?"

Cain practically froze in the middle of a word. "What do you mean, 'what is a Reploid?'"

"What is a Reploid? You have been speaking of 'Reploids' and 'Mavericks' like I knew what those are. My database has no entries under those names."

Cain shook his head slowly. "A Reploid is an advanced robot with the ability to think and make independent decisions. They even have emotions just like humans. They have been around for some ten years now, and you have not heard of them? Wait.. if you are not a Reploid, then what are you?"

"I am a human.. well, mostly human. How come?"

An odd expression flashed over Cain's face. "If you are a human.. then that is a suit of armor? Not your actual body?"

Cheran nodded shortly. "Standard Storm issue Gamma-class Thorn Beast heavy assault armor. Specifically designed for urban warfare. Is there a problem?"

Cain sighed. "There's so much to ask, so much to tell and so little time. Let's just say that if the information about you gets public, there's no telling how the masses will react. For now we should keep your true nature hidden."

"If we must, then so shall it be. Were you not taking me somewhere?"

"Yes, yes. This way, then. I thought we should let Lifesaver, our leading medic, have a look at you."

****

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

Lifesaver proved to be a strict-looking Reploid with a sandy brown beard and a red gem set into his forehead. Cheran had noticed that all Reploids had some kinds of crystals attached to either their helmets or their foreheads. 

"Evening, Doctor. What can I do for you?" Lifesaver had a deep, gruff voice that immediately reminded Cheran of his old trainer back on the _Stormhammer_.

"Good evening. Lifesaver, This is Cheran Torr. Cheran, this is Lifesaver. Cheran here needs a checkup."

Lifesaver looked Cheran up and down several times. If he was impressed, he didn't let it show. "Sit down at the table and let's have a look at you. Shouldn't you be somewhere, Doctor?"

Cain nodded and sighed.

"I'll be going, then. When you have finished, I need to talk to Cheran."

Lifesaver looked oddly at Cheran when Cain left the room. "Quite a piece of work, aren't you? What seems to be the problem?"

"Well.. I took quite a beating some time ago, and most of my systems are somewhat shaken up. My nanoprobe repair drones are working on any flaws as we speak, but I require some tools to fix any major problems."

"I have a spare toolkit in here. How extensive damage are we talking about?"

"My primary systems are mainly operational. There is some damage done to my limbic servos and actuators that require actual repairs, and some minor damage to my weapons grid, but the rest of my systems can be handled by my nanoprobes."

Lifesaver rummaged through a shelf filled with different medical devices- both human and Reploid- and pulled out a box filled with neatly arranged tools.

"Here you go. Do you need any help?"

"No, thank you. I am fully trained to do field repairs.. Hell_-lo!_ Is that a can of wax that I see?"

****

(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

"So, X, what do you think of him?"

X glanced at Zero over his drink. They did not have anything better to do, so they took their precious time off in the Hunter mess hall. It was abnormally quiet in the hall. After the news of Vile's return had spread, most Hunters had suddenly got very interested in their training. As so, there were only about a dozen Hunters and Huntresses of various ranks spread across the room.

"About who?"

Zero rolled his eyes. "Spike, of course. Y'know- two ten tall, black, has a helmet like a Predator with spikes? The one we found in a huge crystal?"

"Oh, _him._ I don't know really. He seems.. I really don't know.. _different._ I know it sounds obvious, but there's more to him then just his armor. He behaves entirely different from any Reploid we've seen.. There's just something not quite right about him."

"I know what's right about him.. that honkin' gun of his! Imagine if we could persuade him to join the Hunters.. No Maverick would be safe.."

X got the sudden mental image of the Knight plowing through ranks of Maverick drones and troopers, the coppery thorns glittering of black Reploid blood, eyes glowing fierce red and crimson flames reflecting off the black metal shell. He shuddered slightly.

"Maybe so, but what if he went Maverick? Besides, I don't think recruiting him would be such a good idea, at least not until we know more of him. We have no idea _who _built him.. Heck, he could be one of the old Wilybots, sealed in a capsule to be released upon the future.."

"Or he could be one of Dr. Light's creations, maybe an early prototype of _you.._" Zero shot back.

"I don't think so. He doesn't look like anything that Light built. Besides, you heard how he identified himself."

X replayed an audio recording he had stored in his memory core. Cheran's voice echoed from a small microphone in X's mouth; it looked like X spoke with Cheran's voice. _"I am Cheran Torr, Third Knight of the Beast from the Brotherhood of Flame, serving aboard the Allied Federation gigacruiser Stormhammer."_ X managed to attract several odd stares from around the hall. Zero squirmed in his chair with laughter.

"Man, X, that was the best Darth Vader imitation I've heard in a long time! OK, I got the point. So if he's not a Lightbot, or a Wilybot.. then _what_ is he?"

That was the one million dollar question. The question neither Hunter could answer. For a long time neither of the warriors spoke. Then Zero suddenly stood up slightly straighter.

"Did you hear something?"

X blinked and fed a little more power to his audio sensors.

__

screet CLANK… screet CLANK…screet CLANK…

An odd sound like the whine of some kind of a motor followed be a heavy clang of metal against metal resounded from the corridor leading to the mess hall. The noise grew slowly louder until the doors to the hall opened. 

"Well, speak of the devil.." Zero said, somewhat amused.

A low murmur could be heard from among the Hunters in the room as Cheran walked into the mess hall.

"What the.."

__

"Whoa.."

"Who's _that?_"

"Isn't that the guy X and Zero bought in?"

"Man, and I thought _Sigma_ was scary.."

"You see him too? I'm not drunk?"

Just about everyone was staring at the Knight as he moved slowly towards the center of the hall.

Cheran had apparently polished himself. All the surfaces in his armor were shining jet black, except for the copper spikes and details that glittered bloody red. The fanlike array of blades on his forehead reached slightly higher than the top of his head and each of the five small blades had been honed to a lethal sharpness. Somehow, although the armor seemed extremely bulky, Cheran moved with a strangely fluid manner that suggested he was much faster than he looked. The noise X and Zero had heard were his heavy footsteps against the metal floor. X noticed that Cheran's feet were strangely different from most Reploids- they were discshaped and split so that they looked like large pincers or hooves of some kind. They came to two sharp, triangular claws that actually moved as he walked, like he had had only two large toes in each foot.

__

"Hey, Spike!" Zero hollered at the Knight. "Come sit here!"

Cheran looked around, spotted X and Zero and made his way towards their table. His eyes had a low, steady glow of green light emanating from the lenses.

"So.." Zero began, "What brings you here?"

Cheran sat down with an audible whine from some of his joints. Up close X could hear a steady humming sound reverberating from somewhere inside the black shell, like a generator of some sort. 

"Cain took me to see Lifesaver. When I was finished with my repairs, I kind of wandered around until I ended up here."

"Hey, do you want a drink? We've still got to thank you for saving our hides."

Cheran's helmet did not show any emotion, but he sounded amused.

"Depends entirely on what you are drinking."

Zero raised his glass filled with clear liquid. "WD-40. The best we'll ever get."

"I think I'll pass. My armor will provide me with all the sustenance I will need."

"You sure, Spike?"

Cheran raised an armored hand. X saw that the metallic fingertips had been shaped so that they were almost like sharp claws. It seemed like the entire suit of armor was one large weapon.

"Positive. And call me 'Spike' and I _will_ have to hurt you."

Zero grinned at the Knight. "Hey, no need to get violent on us. Save that for the Mavericks. Anyway," Zero glanced at Cheran's gauntlets, "you mind telling what kind of guns those are? Anything that could do Vile in like you did _has_ to pack a punch."

Cheran clenched his right hand in a fist. The device on his gauntlet emitted a soft chirp and opened, revealing a ringshaped discharge port. "Storm issue Disruptor Blaster, Mark Three. Fires concentrated sonic waves packed into a torus-shaped container force field, creating a shockwave of pure sound on impact. The blast I got on Vile was charged at roughly 25% maximum power." Cheran clenched his left hand in a fist. A second blaster formed on his left gauntlet. "And I have _two_ of these."

The blasters vanished and were replaced by smaller weapons at the sides of his wrists. "The weapon I used on the Maverick trooper was my Blade Burst attack. Blade Burst is a projectile weapon that uses a high-intensity magnetic field to propel an insane amount of monophilament blades into hypersonic velocities, piercing through flesh and armor alike. In effect, it's like a railgun and a shotgun in one lethal combination."

"Owch."

"'Owch' is hardly enough, Zero. I can destroy a tank with a single Burst attack. In addition to my ranged weapons, my actuators make me roughly seven times stronger than a normal human. My thorns make me lethal in close combat, and I have _these._"

Cheran raised his hand. It looked like some of the metal in his bracelets became liquid in form, and elongated into a tendril hanging from his wrist. The metal flowed and solidified into a black chain slightly less then a meter long, with a coppery colored, spiked metal orb sized like X's fist at the end. "Strike Chain. My training puts a heavy emphasis on this particular weapon. The tip is instantly reconfigurable-" The spiked ball turned into liquid again, and changed into a smooth, round crushing ball, then into a nasty-looking hook, then into an odd contraption like a shuriken with three curved tips- "And I am able to retract the chain in seconds if it gets stuck on something."

"Or some_one_" X quipped. Cheran nodded grimly and the entire chain turned back into its liquid form and was absorbed back into his wrist.

"How can it do that?" Zero asked. "I mean, it's solid metal now, the next moment it runs like water and then it's solid again. How?"

"My repair nanoprobes can reconfigure my armor as I see fit. They are unable to change my basic structure, but I can modify my thorns or chains when needed."

"Could you remove some of those thorns?" X asked. "No offence, but sooner or later someone will bump into you and you'll take his eye out."

Cheran nodded and his thorns were absorbed into his armor. He left only the spikes in his knuckles, kneepads and some longer thorns onto his shoulder pads. Some new decorations appeared- the outer sides of his gauntlets housed now both a row of three long spikes that reminded X of the dorsal fin of a bass. Fewer thorns didn't make Cheran any less intimidating, however. He looked slimmer, and, if possible, even more deadly.

X's commlink chose that particular moment to chime in his ear. "X here. What is it?"

__

"X, this is Cain. Is Zero there? Cheran's gone missing."

"Um, no he hasn't. He's here, drinking in the mess hall with me and Zero."

A moment of stupefied silence. _"He is?"_

"Yup. Zero's trying to persuade him to wrestle arms with him."

__

"…"

"That's what I thought. Did you want something?"

__

"Come to briefing room 2. Bring Zero and Cheran with you."

"And no cops. Got it." X closed the link and glanced at the two warriors. Zero was wrestling arms with Cheran. It didn't exactly look like Zero was winning. "Hey! Zero, Cheran! C'mon, Cain wants to see us!"

****

(--¤¤--) Author's Notes (--¤¤--)

For those, who are unfamiliar with the term: 'torus-shaped' = 'doughnut-shaped'.

Whew. That was a long chapter. I'll update soon, Chapter Five containing some information on Cheran's past. I'll shed some light onto the _Stormhammer_, and explain about those Brotherhoods. And, if we get lucky, we'll get to see Cheran in action!

I'd like to thank everybody for reading this fic of mine, and for reviewing. In my opinion, this fic has turned out much better then I originally thought it would. See you soon in Chapter Five of

Mega Man X: The Beast Within

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	6. Chapter 5

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Mega Man X: The Beast Within

Summary: My very first Mega Man X fic. An ancient reploid is uncovered on a dig site. When the Maverick forces find out, chaos ensues. But who, or what, is the enigmatic warrior in black combat armor?

Disclaimer: I do not own Mega Man X. I think Capcom does. I'm just fiddling around with the setting and the characters. I, however, own Cheran, the Knights, the Brotherhoods and the _Stormhammer, _plus a nice amount of Storm technology. 

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(--¤¤--) Author's Notes/Review Responses (--¤¤--)

First off, I would like to apologize for all my (few) readers. I hate long delays myself, but I could not help it. I had a MASSIVE case of writer's block, and when I finally got to writing, my hard drive failed. I finally ended up writing _four_ different variations of this chapter to see which one would be the easiest one to write and continue writing from. This one is variant #3. From now on, I'm trying to squeeze a little more of my time into writing this.. Ok, back to the point. It's Review Response Time! 

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Blade Dancer: Thanks for reviewing. Um, wouldn't the spikes be a bit of a problem? Just kidding.. Hope you enjoy this chapter. The fun part is, I still have NO idea what he looks like beneath the helmet.

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None: I know, I know.. Long delays suck.

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Chaos of the Midnight Sun:Thanks for reviewing. I'll write more as soon as I can.

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Ignorantly grinning: Thanks for the review, and specialthanks for pointing out I wasn't accepting anonymous reviews. I thought that I was accepting those, but.. oh well.. Anyway, big thanks.

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And then, to the point. Enjoy:

Mega Man X: The Beast Within

(--¤¤--) Chapter Five (--¤¤--)

"What did you need us for?"

Zero was the first to reach the briefing room, followed closely by X and Cheran. Cain was waiting for them there, an odd smile on his bearded face.

"Signas and I have been talking, and.. Well, we've come to the conclusion that Cheran could be a valuable ally. First of all, we would like to offer you, Cheran, our hospitality. I believe the Seventh Unit had some vacant rooms in their barracks?"

X nodded. "That is correct, Doctor. Several of our troopers were lost in the last Uprising. There's more than enough free space there."

"Good. That's settled, then. In addition, I understand you had sustained some damage to your memory unit, Cheran. If you accept, I would like to get you through some training later on- learn of our situation, of our allies and enemies, that sort of thing. Perhaps you would even like to join the Hunters?"

Cheran bowed slightly to Cain. "I would be honored to accept your offer of hospitality, Doctor. Currently I have no where else to go. I will consider your offer to accept me to the noble ranks of the Hunters. Perhaps we shall fight side by side in the future."

Cain blinked and smiled. Zero leant slightly closer to X and sent a short radio message- the Reploid equivalent of a whisper- to him.

Zero-X _Since when did he speak like sir Lancealot?_

X had to hold back a grin. X-Zero _It's sir Lancelot, not Lance-a-lot. Since right now._

Zero-X _Whatever._

X coughed discreetly. "Ahem.. It is late. Perhaps I should show Cheran to his room? Tomorrow I could show Cheran around the base and show him the training areas."

Cain smiled and nodded. "That would be good, X. I'll see you again tomorrow, Cheran."

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(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

X lead Cheran to an empty room near his office. It was one of the standard Hunter rooms; a small table, some lockers and four bunks in the corners.

"Well.. here it is. Not exactly luxurious, but it's the best we have for now."

Cheran clanked his way to the back of the room and stood between two of the bunks, facing the door.

"It is all right. I have no need for luxuries."

"Right.. Well, I'll be going now. Good night."

Cheran crossed his arms over his chest. "Good night, X."

The green light in Cheran's eyes flickered out and he stood perfectly still in the back of the room, like a statue made of black and copper steel. X shook his head and left the room.

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(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

The following day X gave Cheran a quick tour in the Hunter HQ, showing him the main through the main facilities: the various training areas, the hangars, armories, recreation areas, medbays, everything that the Hunters needed to keep the base operational. They began with the recreation areas, continued with the hangars and armories, and finished with the training rooms. Cheran found that though the technological level of the Hunters was not quite as high as Storm technology, they had developed systems the scientists of the Storm had not even thought of. Cheran had taken the oppoturnity to uplink with one of the computer terminals in the hallways, downloading whatever data he could need into his suits memory core. He had in particular been interested about the information on the various robotic drones that were used in both civilian and military applications. And speaking of drones.. 

Cheran was kneeled down on the floor, examining a small robotic drone before him. Schematics, tactical data and possible weak points flashed before his eyes as he scanned the robot.

"So this is a 'Met'. May I ask its purpose?"

The Met in question looked like something small had crawled under a construction hardhat to hide there. Small eyes stared at Cheran from under the edge of the yellow, domelike helmet. It was roughly twenty centimeters high.

X chuckled faintly. "The Met, short from Mettaur or Mettool, is an automated robotic drone used in construction and mining duty. It's equipped with a low-power plasma cutter which it uses to clear pathways through rubble or stone."

Cheran reached a hand to grab the drone and the Met withdraw into its helmet like a turtle would withdraw into its shell.

"Oh, and the helmet is designed to be able to withstand anything short of eight tons of junk on top of it. If threatened, the Met will hide under it until the threat passes by."

Cheran knocked the helmet with his knuckles and the Met scurried away from him.

"Is it armed?"

"Not exactly. The plasma cutter can be overloaded so it becomes a low-power cannon, but it's really not much of a threat. Funny, really- over thirty years ago Wily had the bright idea to convert an army of these things into attack drones, and Sigma apparently got the same idea in the first Uprising. Not much of an original thinker, if you ask me."

The idea of a Met trying to wreak havoc in a city seemed odd to Cheran.

"Attack drones? These?"

X snorted oddly. "Well, not exactly attack drones. They'll just sit still hidden under the shell, and when something would come near, they'd open up to shoot a few times and go back to hiding to recharge. The trick is to shoot right when it pops up, because the helmet reflects Buster shots. Dangerous? Not. Annoying? Hell yes."

"Right. I can definitely see why."

"Hey, that's nothing compared to-"

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SCRREEET! SCRREEET! SCRREEET!

Klaxons suddenly blared to life. Suddenly everyone was moving, gathering weapons and getting suited up in their armor.

"What is going on? What is the alert for?"

X's face showed worry. "That means we've gone up to red alert. Mavericks detected in the city. Come on, we'll need to get to the command center!"

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(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

The command center reminded Cheran of an anthill someone had prodded with a stick. Humans and Reploids alike in were in constant movement, shouting commands, operating computers, or just generally trying to be useful.

When Cheran and X entered, one of the operators looked up. "X!"

"What's going on, Alia?"

Alia was a female Reploid with a small, round red gem in her forehead, short blonde hair and blue eyes. Her armor was dim red and brown. She looked like she was about to say something, but stopped and stared at Cheran.

"Who.. Isn't that.."

"Cheran Torr, Third Knight of the Beast from the Brotherhood of the Flame. Yes, he's the one we found in the caves. Cheran, this is Alia, our navigator."

Alia blinked. "Right. Nice to meet you."

Cheran bowed slightly. "M'lady."

X glanced around, but didn't see the familiar red and white helmet anywhere. "What's the situation? And where's Zero?"

Alia motioned towards a holographic map on the largest viewscreen. The map of the city had all Hunter units marked onto it with green markers and Mavericks with red markers. Currently a wave of red dots was moving south in the western city. Only one green spot was seen, but more were rapidly appearing and approaching the Mavericks.

"Zero was out patrolling when the Mavericks attacked. We don't know for sure how many of them are there- they keep destroying our surveillance systems as the pass them. We need all the Hunters we can send out."

"I'll need to get out there. Cheran, you'll have to stay here."

"_What?_ Why, in the name of the Storm?"

X shook his head. "You don't know of the enemy. You would just get in the way. Besides, some Hunter could think you were a Maverick and shoot you."

Cheran was about to strike back with a fitting retort when blue light flashed around X and he vanished out of sight. Cheran's sensor pack picked up a high-intensity energy signal moving rapidly towards the west and disappearing. He turned slowly towards Alia. "Where did he go?"

"Um.. He warped out. He'll be arriving in the area right about now."

A green spot appeared in the map some distance away from the Mavericks.

"There he is.. Uh-oh."

"_Uh-oh?_ What 'uh-oh'?"

Alia turned towards her keyboard and began tapping commands. Cheran saw several live video feeds opening on her monitor. Various types of robots could be seen running around the streets, firing away with different energy and projectile weapons. He could even see a Met moving slowly down the street, firing small pulses of plasma as it went.

"Don't tell me.. I'm picking up a strong power signature from one of the Mavericks. It could be a Commander."

One of the camera views showed a large, dark mass advancing down the street before the camera was destroyed. Alia shook her head. "It's a Commander, all right. X? Can you hear me?"

It took a moment for Cheran to realize that Alia was speaking to her internal commlink.

"This is Alia to X. X, if you can hear me, there's a Commander in there somewhere. Be careful."

"What's going on in here? Cheran, what are you doing in here?"

Cheran turned around to see Signas standing before him. "X brought me up here. The Mavericks are attacking. X and Zero are down there."

"How many of them are there?"

"We are unsure of their exact numbers" Alia said, "but there is at least one Commander in there."

"A Commander? This is _not _good.. and X and Zero are out there? Cheran, where are you going?"

Cheran gave his suit a series of commands. Signas and Alia saw how the exterior of his suit produced rows of lethal spikes and how his eyes lit aflame with a fearsome red glow.

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"To fight."

"You can't! X told you to stay here!" Alia called after the leaving Knight.

"Try and stop me."

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(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

Cheran made his way to the landchaser hangars as quickly as possible. Landchasers were small, single-person vehicles like motorcycles with antigrav pads and small jet engines. They reminded Cheran strongly of Storm gliders except that gliders were slightly larger, were equipped with collision shields and could reach up to Mach 2 with their afterburners. He, however, had no need for landchasers. He just needed a quick exit.

**__**

Hovjet mark Two thrusters: Engaged.

He could hear someone shouting for him to stop as he activated his thruster systems. There was a nasty _sshenngg-_sound like a sword drawn from its sheath as two bladelike stabilizers sprouted out from his shoulders. Blue light flashed from the exhaust ports in his back, and moments later blue fusion flames erupted with a roaring sound from them, lifting him some inches off the floor. Thrusters in the bottoms of his feet activated to keep him airborne and the jets from his back were directed straight backwards, propelling him forward and out through the open hangar doors with enough acceleration to give a normal human whiplash.

His communications unit chirped as it received a transmission from the MHHQ.

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"Cheran, this is Signas. What do you think you are doing? Get back here! That is an order!"

Though Cheran was gliding down the street at nearly 90 km/h, his computer increased his reaction time so everything seemed to move in slow motion.

"I cannot do that, Signas. You forget that I am not one of the Hunters. I am not under your command."

Cheran heard Signas pound the communication unit frustrated, and closed the link. He was approaching the combat zone- he could hear sounds of fighting over the screaming of his thruster kit. Some of the buildings had been damaged, walls had crumpled and burnt before the Maverick onslaught. He detected several small energy discharges nearby. Flashes of purple light could be seen farther away. Cheran deactivated his thrusters and retracted his stabilizers, landing softly on his feet. The concrete had a pair of steaming trails where his thrusters had passed.

**__**

Thrusters disabled

Entering Combat Mode

Disruptor Gauntlet on-line

Blade Burst on-line

Shields engaged

Disruptor Nova Generator armed, standing by

All systems nominal.

Cheran's sensor kit detected slight movement in a narrow alley right before a short burst of small plasma shots hit him in the chest. The shots just fizzled against his tridithium armor without even doing any superficial damage.

**__**

Analyzing weapon.. Weapon analyzed. Shields reconfigured.

A second burst of plasma rounds followed, but this time they were absorbed into an invisible barrier around him before they could hit him. He saw a small, yellow creature blink in surprise and hide back under its helmet. A Met.

"Dangerous? Not.." Cheran mumbled to himself and charged power to his right Disruptor Gauntlet. A targeting grid appeared in his HUD and centered on the Met.

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ShorrmmMMM..

The Met made the mistake of opening back up to get a second shot at Cheran.

"Annoying? Hell yes!" He released the trigger.

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CHREEOONN! 

His gauntlet released a screaming noise as it fired. The Met flew back as if punched by an invisible fist, bounced off a wall and went straight through a window. A small explosion followed.

Cheran shook his head and continued to advance, ready to give anything that would even think of attacking him Hell. The sounds of fighting lead him towards the west.

He activated his advanced sensor unit. A small hatch opened in his backpack and a small sphere no larger than a tennis ball, colored jet black, shot out and hovered up to fifty meters.

**__**

Sensor probe deployed. Receiving telemetry/sensor data.. Updating automap.

A map of his surroundings, updated real-time, appeared in his HUD. The probe kept transmitting information about detected enemies and Hunters, his enviroment, everything he needed to know. It appeared that the fighting had spread over a large area of the city. He was in one of the calmer zones, but Mavericks were approaching rapidly. Cheran could not help grinning to himself; the fools were coming to him! He set his Disruptor blasters to full power and maximum spread. This would become interesting..

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(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

X cursed fiercely and leaped straight up, dodging a Ball De Voux rolling right beneath him. He spun around in midair and unleashed a blast of supercharged plasma from his X-Buster at the Maverick drone, which exploded in a brilliant flash of light and miscellaneous machine parts. The destroyed drone left behind a small unit of spare power cells, which X promptly snatched.

X stopped and glanced around him. It was quiet. He could see Maverick drone remains littering the street, but nothing besides himself was moving. X shrugged and began charging his Buster just in case. Rule Number One in combat situations: If you're not firing your Buster, charge it!

X's communication unit chirped at an incoming transmission. _"X? This is Alia. Do you read?"_

"X here. What is it?"

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"It's Cheran. He left the base right after you warped out. I think he's coming your way. I can't pick him up on any scanners, but he was last seen coming that way."

"Aaw, frackit.. It must be the armor. Whatever that stuff is, no scanner we have can get through it. Must be designed that way.. Aah!"

X was interrupted by an enormous flash of pure white light. Two of the buildings next to him just collapsed and Maverick drones came pouring out and X found himself literally kneedeep in the things.

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(--¤¤--) *** (--¤¤--)

Cheran ducked as a birdlike drone equipped with rocket engines -a Tubamail, formerly used as a high-speed delivery unit modified into a kamikaze bomber, his computer reminded him- flew over him fully intent of taking his head with it. The drone missed by several feet and spun around in midair for a second swoop when Cheran blasted it into shreds with a well-aimed Disruptor blast. Blasts of laser-fire hammered into his shields and he spun quickly around to see a large scorpionlike drone, a Scorwarbot, fling a small explosives charge at him from its tail. Cheran activated his thruster engines and jetted forward under the grenade and straight into the 'bot, tearing through the metal armor with his thorns and his sheer speed and weight. Now he was truly in his element, facing down enemies with only his armor and skills to aid him. His onboard tactical computer was constantly updating his now considerable database on robotic drones, their offensive and defensive patterns and recommended countertactics.

Suddenly a bright flash of white light not too far away caught his attention. With a single command, the sensors probe hovered closer. It immediately picked up several Maverick power signatures.. and one already familiar energy emission. X and his X-buster.

Cheran's own sensors kit detected movement behind him moments before he heard a familiar voice. 

"Cheran!" 

Cheran turned around to see Zero. He looked like he had seen a fair share of action; his armor and blonde ponytail were covered with stains of black oily liquid, and the ignited Z-saber in his hands hummed menacingly.

"Zero."

"What the fracking Hell are _you _doing here?"

"I came down here to offer a helping hand. Come- X is out there with a horde of hostiles." Cheran clenched both his hands into fists with a satisfying _crrench_.

Zero grinned beastily. Cheran was strongly reminded of Silverflame, the Draconian engineer aboard the _Stormhammer.._ Except that Zero was lacking the claws, scales and fangs, not to mention the tail.

"Then let's go crash the party, Spike."

Before Cheran could answer, Zero had already dashed off- literally. Cheran shrugged and activated his own thruster unit, speeding after the crimson warrior. Closer to the actual battleground, he could see the hordes of various drones attacking X. There were too many for his liking.. A surprise entrance would be his best bet.

Still gliding, Cheran spotted a section of metallic wall still standing next to a large pile of debris. He grinned and shot the wall with a halfway-charged Disruptor blast. The wall toppled with a groan and fell onto the pile, creating a narrow slope.. or a ramp.

A small change of course and a burst of speed were all that it took for Cheran to reach the top of the ramp. The ramp flinged Cheran, screaming a combat challenge on the top of his lungs, up in a high arc.. that ended in a particularly dense part of the drone swarm. He came down like a barrelful of Draconian thornbombs; full of spikes and ready to _blow._

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(--¤¤--) Author's Notes (--¤¤--)

And here we have it, Chapter Five of MMX: The Beast Within. I hope you enjoyed the (short) ride. There's just one thing left to say: review, please! On a sidenote, feel free to ask any possible 'technical' questions you have in mind. I originally just planned out the Thorn Beast armor and started playing with the idea of a Knight of the Beast in MMX universe, and here is the result. The point is, I have the exact specifications of our favorite juggernaut stashed away in my drawer. Just ask and I'll be happy to answer. 

Oh, one more thing: If one of you happens to be a Star Fox fan, check my other fic on my profile page. I know the title sucks, but I haven't got around to changing it yet. I want to know if I should even bother writing that one on.

Now then, thanks for reading and see you (hopefully) soon in Chapter Six of

Mega Man X: The Beast Within


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